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Pennsylvania: $99,000 Settlement for 22 Years in Solitary Confinement
Loaded on Feb. 7, 2017
by David Reutter
published in Prison Legal News
February, 2017, page 26
Filed under:
Political Prisoners,
Retaliation,
Retaliatory Segregation,
Escapes,
Eighth Amendment,
Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.
Location:
Pennsylvania.
A Pennsylvania federal district court held that general issues of material fact required a jury to determine whether a prisoner’s Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated when he was held in solitary confinement for over 22 years. Before going to trial, however, the case settled for just under …
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More from this issue:
- Colorado Town to Pay $775,000 for Relying on Bogus Snitch, by Derek Gilna
- Trapped, by Sam Levin
- Pennsylvania DOC Ordered to Evaluate Mumia Abu-Jamal for Hep C Treatment, by Derek Gilna
- Florida’s Civil Commitment Center a “Living Death Sentence”, by David Reutter
- Still No Answers
- Federal Halfway House Contractor Files Unsuccessful Suit Against Bureau of Prisons, by Christopher Zoukis
- $7,500 Settlement in Pennsylvania Prisoner’s “Nuisance Suit”
- Riot at Private Prison in Arizona Prompts Review, Reforms and Change in Contractor, by Derek Gilna
- New York Counties, Corizon Reach $1.85 Million Settlement in Detainee’s Death
- Some Lawsuits Resolved Against New Mexico Prison Doctor, Others Still Pending, by Christopher Zoukis
- Fifth Circuit Holds Supervised Release Condition Restricting Dating Improper
- ICE Bans Crayons in Family Detention Center Visiting Area
- Orange Crush: The Rise of Tactical Teams in Prison, by Brian Dolinar
- Massachusetts Sheriff Offers Prisoner Labor to Build Trump’s Border Wall
- Louisiana City Declines to Open Jail Funded by Offender Fees
- South Carolina Court Finds DOC Erred in Treating Cases as No-Parole Offenses
- Studies on Financing of Judicial Campaigns Indicate Need for Reform, by Derek Gilna
- Summary Judgment Reversed in Puerto Rican Arrestee’s Wrongful Death Suit
- Prisoners Not Required to Take Unspecified Steps to Exhaust Administrative Remedies
- California Governor Grants 112 Pardons, One Commutation
- Third Circuit Holds Prisons Not Required to Treat Impotence or Infertility
- PLN Exclusive! Wisconsin DOC Audit Reveals Contract Violations by Community Corrections Provider, by Derek Gilna
- Three Reports Provide Data on Prisoners Held in “Restrictive Housing”, by Derek Gilna
- Michigan DOC Audit Reveals $3.4 Million in Overcharges by Aramark; Problems Persist Under New Contractor, by Derek Gilna
- $175,000 in Damages, Attorney Fees Against Sentinel Offender Services
- Maine DA Sued for Malicious Prosecution
- New York State Closes 14 Prisons Amid Decline in Crime Rates, by Christopher Zoukis
- Study: 95 Percent of Elected Prosecutors are White, by Joe Watson
- Kentucky Prisoners Entitled to Review of Audio Recordings at Disciplinary Hearing
- Arizona: Police Lieutenant Gets Special Treatment During DUI Jail Sentence
- One Oregon Prisoner + Sex with Two Jailers = 86 Months in Prison , by Mark Wilson
- Death Penalty Opponents File Suit to Thwart California’s Prop. 66
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Illinois Jail Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Suit
- Washington: Teen’s Death in Tribal Jail Sparks Lawsuit, Contract Scrutiny
- Florida County Votes against New Jail on Former EPA Superfund Site, Opts to Stay in Flood Zone , by Panagioti Tsolkas
- A Story of Racial Bias, the Absence of Mercy, and a Death in Prison
- Justice Department Inspectors Find Problems with BOP Reentry Programs, by Derek Gilna
- Hawaii: Prison Subcontractor under Scrutiny
- Negative Report Foreshadows End of G4S Juvenile Operations in UK, by Derek Gilna
- Texas: “San Antonio Four” Exonerated after Two Decades
- Five Wrongfully Convicted North Carolina Men Receive Almost $8 Million, by David Reutter
- Legacy of Mass Incarceration: Parental Incarceration Impacts One in Fourteen Children , by Christopher Zoukis
- Fourth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of FTCA Failure-to-Protect Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Australia Uses Recidivism-Based Performance Contract at Private Prison
- Prisoner Deaths, Labor Conflicts Precipitate Loss of CA County Corizon Contract , by Derek Gilna
- Michigan: Class-action Suit Alleges Systematic Deficiencies in Prison Dental Care
- Pennsylvania: $99,000 Settlement for 22 Years in Solitary Confinement, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- News in Brief
More from David Reutter:
- Tenth Circuit: Colorado Governor Unentitled to Eleventh Amendment Immunity on Claim Related to DOC Religious Policies, Aug. 1, 2026
- Michigan Appeals Court: Witnesses Cannot be Forced to Wear Jail Clothes at Trial, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of State-Law Qualified Immunity in Scabies Case, Aug. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Revives Disabled Prisoner’s Claim for Denial of Out-of-Cell Exercise Time, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
- Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
- Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026
- California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, April 1, 2026
- Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, April 1, 2026
- Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Oregon Agrees to $2.3 Million Settlement After Guards Toss Mentally Ill Prisoner in Solitary, Taunt Him Until He Kills Himself, Aug. 1, 2026. Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- Seventh Circuit Holds Federal Law Prohibits County Jail from Forcing Immigration Detainees to Perform Custodial Labor by Threatening Solitary Confinement, Aug. 1, 2026. Prison Labor, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Immigration Detention, Monell Liability.
- Fourth Circuit Revives Disabled Prisoner’s Claim for Denial of Out-of-Cell Exercise Time, Aug. 1, 2026. Totality of Conditions, Eighth Amendment, Exercise, Summary Judgment, Qualified Immunity.
- Nevada Prisons Are Facing a Medical Crisis Due to Understaffing, Aug. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Oregon Reaches $49 Million Settlement with State Prisoners in COVID-19 Class-Action, Aug. 1, 2026. COVID-19, Eighth Amendment, Settlements, Class Certification, Qualified Immunity.
- Eighth Circuit Revives § 1983 Complaint Alleging Jail Detainees’ Death from Stroke was Due to Deliberate Indifference and Failure to Train, July 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Eighth Amendment, Failure to Train/Supervise, Deliberate Indifference.
- Alabama Barred from Executing Prisoner by Nitrogen Hypoxia, July 1, 2026. Totality of Conditions, Eighth Amendment, Death Penalty, Cruel and Unusual Punishment, Wrongful Use of Force.
- North Texas Prison Evacuated After Carbon Monoxide Leak, July 1, 2026. Toxic Fumes/Chemicals, Eighth Amendment, Exposure to Cold, Water, Exposure to Heat.
- $130,030 Jury Verdict for Connecticut Prisoner Subjected to Inhumane Conditions, July 1, 2026. Retaliation, Conditions of Confinement, Administrative Detention/Segregation, Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).
- Pennsylvania Bungles Management at George W. Hill Prison after Taking Back Control from GEO Group, July 1, 2026. Classification, Retaliation, Conditions of Confinement, Guards/Staff, Prison Regulations.

